About Us India - Kiribati

High Commission of  India

Suva

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KIRIBATI – FACTSHEET

GENERAL

Official Name

Republic of Kiribati

Capital

Tarawa

Area 

811 sq. kms. 

Weather

Maximum temperature: 31 °C

Minimum temperature: 26 °C

Population 

119,438 (2020) – [Source : Kiribati National Statistics Office]

Independence Day

12 July

Languages (with %age of speakers, if available)

I-Kiribati, English (official)

Religions (with %age, if available) 

According to 2010 government statistics, Christian groups form about 96% of the Kiribati population by census counts, most of whom are either Catholic or members of the Kiribati Uniting Church. Persons with no religious affiliation account for about 0.05% of the population. Members of the Catholic Church are concentrated in the northern islands, while Protestants are the majority in the southern islands.

Ethnic Groups

I-Kiribati – 96.2%, I-Kiribati/mixed – 1.8%, Tuvaluan – 0.2%, other 1.8%. 

Tourist Arrivals 

12,000 (2019), 

Currency

Exchange rate with 

US$ & 

INR                          

Australian dollar  

AU$ 1 = US$ 0.64 (March 2025)

AU$1  =  Rs. 56.17 (March 2025)

Political Structure

Parliamentary System; Single chamber House of Assembly or ‘Maneaba ni Maungatabu’, with 44 elected members for four years term. 

Head of State (President)

His Excellency Taneti Maamau 

Head of Government 

His Excellency Taneti Maamau

Minister for Foreign Affairs 

His Excellency Taneti Maamau

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Economy 



A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few natural resources and is one of the least developed Pacific Islands. License fees paid by Foreign Vessel for fishing in the vast EEZ is a major source of income to the country. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. The country is particularly seen as vulnerable to effects of rising sea levels.

GDP 

US$ 279.03 mn     (2023) *

GDP per capita 

US$ 2106.80          (2023) *

GDP Growth Rate 

4.1 %                   (2023) *

* World Bank [https://data.worldbank.org/country/kiribati]

Inflation

1.9% (2024) (Kiribati National Statistics Office

Total Trade 

Imports

Exports

AU$ 241.30 mn  (2023) 

AU$ 158 mn  (2023)  

AU$   83.3 mn  (2023)

[Source : Kiribati National Statistics Office] https://nso.gov.ki/statistics/economy/trade/

Bilateral Trade 

Imports from India

Exports to India

US$ 1.04 mn (2023-24) 

US$ 1.04 mn (2023-24) 

US$ 0.00 mn (2023-24) 

[Source : Ministry of Commerce, Government of India]

INDIA SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Indian Origin/ Permanent Resident

Total: About 50 (Almost all Fiji Indians)

Indian Expatriates 

Total: Two

Indian Organizations

PSUs

Nil

Government Organizations

Nil

Others

Nil

April 2025

Bilateral Relations